Emily Mason facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Emily Mason
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Mason working in her Manhattan Studio in front of her painting Up River, 2016.
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| Born | January 12, 1932 Greenwich Village, New York City, US
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| Died | December 10, 2019 (aged 87) |
| Education | High School of Music & Art Bennington College Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art |
| Known for | Abstract painting |
| Movement | Abstract Expressionism, Color Field painting, Lyrical Abstraction |
| Spouse(s) | Wolf Kahn, m. 1957 |
Emily Mason (born January 12, 1932 – died December 10, 2019) was an American artist. She was known for her abstract paintings and prints. Abstract art uses shapes, colors, and lines instead of showing real objects. Emily Mason created her own special style using layers of color and quick, free brushstrokes. She was born, grew up, and worked in New York City her whole life.
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Growing Up and Education
Emily Mason was born in Greenwich Village, New York City, in 1932. Her mother, Alice Trumbull Mason, was also a famous abstract artist. She helped start a group called the American Abstract Artists. Emily's father, Warwood Edwin Mason, was a sea captain.
Emily went to the High School of Music & Art from 1946 to 1950. After that, she studied at Bennington College from 1950 to 1952. In 1952, she moved to the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. She finished her studies there in 1955.
Studying in Italy
In 1956, Emily Mason received a special award called a Fulbright grant. This award allowed her to study art in Italy. Before she left, she met another painter named Wolf Kahn. He later joined her in Venice, Italy.
Emily and Wolf got married in Venice on March 2, 1957. Their wedding was near the Rialto Bridge. Because of her excellent work, Emily received the Fulbright grant for a second year. They spent this time traveling between Venice and Rome. They visited other artists like Gretna Campbell and Lee Bontecou.
Life Back Home
In late 1958, Emily and Wolf returned to New York. Their first daughter, Cecily, was born in 1959. In 1963, the family went back to Italy for a short time. Their second daughter, Melany, was born in Rome in 1964.
In 1968, Emily and Wolf bought a farm in Brattleboro, Vermont. Emily loved to spend her summers there painting. She once said that it was important to balance city life with nature. She felt that winter in the city was for new ideas, and summer was for creating art.
Art Career and Teaching
Emily Mason's art career really took off in the 1960s. Her first solo art show was in 1960 at the Area Gallery in New York City. This was a big step for her as an artist.
In 1979, another artist, Sanford Wurmfeld, invited her to teach painting. She began teaching at Hunter College in New York City. She taught there for 30 years, sharing her knowledge with many students.
Emily Mason's paintings are special because they mix different styles. She used layers of color that seemed to float. She also used quick, free brushstrokes. She painted on prepared canvases, not raw ones. This allowed her to make her colors very bright and full of different shades. Her art often showed ideas from her memories and nature.
Art in Collections
Emily Mason's artwork is displayed in many museums and collections. Here are some of the places where you can see her paintings:
- Bennington Museum, Bennington, VT
- National Academy Museum, New York, NY
- New Britain Museum of American Art, New Britain, CT
- Springfield Museum, Springfield, MA
- University of New Mexico Art Museum, Albuquerque, NM
- Washington County Museum of Art, Hagerstown, MD
- Wheaton College, Norton, MA
